‘Nerves kick in’ as Blitzbokke fly to Rio

Published Jul 27, 2016

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Cape Town - Sevens rugby may look easy, but it is one of the toughest sports around. Just ask Bryan Habana, or any other 15s player who has tried to get fit to play the shortened format – it’s incredibly tough.

So, when the Springbok Sevens squad left Cape Town International Airport at 6am on Wednesday to begin their journey to the Rio Olympics, the feeling of excitement and anxiety in equal measure hit home.

The Blitzboks have been one of the top teams on the sevens circuit over the last few years under Neil Powell, and last season won the Cape Town tournament and runners-up in Wellington, Vancouver and London.

They ended 10 points behind Fiji on the World Series standings, and will feel confident about their chances of winning gold in Brazil. But even someone like Powell, who is normally a cool and calm character, admitted that he is feeling the nerves.

“Obviously very excited to be going to the Olympics. But also a little bit of nervousness kicking in. We all know that this is anybody’s tournament, and if you don’t pitch up ready to play, you could find yourself in trouble,” the 36-year-old said.

“So we need to get out of the blocks in that first game against Spain, and then if we get through that one successfully, we will shift the focus to France.”

Captain Kyle Brown and his team kick off their Olympics against Spain on Tuesday, August 9 (4.30pm SA time), followed by France on the same day (9.30pm). They finish their pool stage against August the next day (4.30pm), with the playoffs taking place that evening.

“I think it’s become very real after arriving at the airport now and the guys have their Team South Africa tracksuits on,” Brown said on Wednesday.

“This morning, when I woke up, I was flashing back to the last couple of years and all the things we’ve done, and you actually realise that it was all part of an effort to prepare for the next couple of weeks.

“It will be a great moment to join Team South Africa and do our little part for the greater Olympic drive and make the team proud.”

The Blitzboks have been training in Stellenbosch over the last month, where regular rain has resulted in muddy fields and heavy underfoot conditions, which is likely to be in strong contrast to Rio.

Although it is still winter in Brazil, Powell told Independent Media this week that the humidity levels could reach up to 95 percent, with temperatures likely to be in the mid-20s.

So their earlier than expected departure to Rio on Wednesday – instead of Saturday, due to a unforeseen change in flights – could be a “blessing in disguise” according to the coach as it would allow the players to acclimatise sooner.

“We always like to tick all the boxes before we leave home, but with our earlier departure we must adjust a bit of planning and will have to work hard once we are in Rio. We are in control of things on the field though and that is where the focus is,” Powell said.

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Independent Media

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